Ice maker including improved sweep means



1968 B. B. LATTER ET L 3,393,553

ICE MAKER INCLUDING IMPROVED SWEEP MEANS Filed March 24, 1967 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS BRUCE B. LATTER BYrSaCHARLES J. SLAYMAN THEIRATTORNEY g. 27, 1968 a. B. LATTEQ ET AL ICE MAKER INCLUDING IMPROVEDSWEEP MEANS Filed March 24, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'' G 4 INVENTORSBRUCE B LATTER e, CHARLES Ir. sLAYMM Tnena ATTORNEY United States Patent3,398,553 ICE MAKER INCLUDING IMPROVED SWEEP MEANS Bruce B., Latter,Anchorage, and Charles J. Slayman,

Louisville, Ky., assignors to General Electric Company,

a corporation of New York Filed'Mar. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 625,738 4Claims. (Cl. 62-353) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An ice maker of the typecomprising ejecting means for raising an ice piece out of a mold cavityand sweep means for sweeping the ice piece from the ejecting meansincludes flexible extension on the sweep means for assuring positivedisplacement of the ice piece from the mold surface.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to anautomatic ice maker for use in household refrigerators, the ice makerbeing of the type shown and described in Patents 3,163,017Baker et al.and 3,163,018-Shaw, issued Dec. 29, 1964. The ice maker comprises a moldincluding at least one ice cavity in which an ice piece is formed,ejecting means including a pad normally positioned in the lower portionof the cavity and movable to a position above the top of the cavity forejecting an ice piece from the cavity and a pivoted sweep or rakeelement actuable after the ice piece has been raised to its upperposition for movement across the top of the mold cavity to remove theice piece from the pad. The sweep means disclosed in the aforementionedpatents moves about a pivot axis above the cavity from a normal positionto one side of the cavity through an arcuate path to a point above thecavity. The sweep is so designed that the ice engaging portion thereofclears the pad in its upper position.

Under some operating conditions of this type of ice maker, it has beenfound that due to the limited length of the sweep means an ice piece maybe only partially displaced from the top of the mold and may either fallback into the mold cavity or melt onto the adjacent surface of the moldduring a subsequent cycle of operation.

Summary of the irivenlion In accordance with the present invention, anice maker of the above-described type is provided with an improved sweepmeans designed to assure positive removal .of the ejected ice piece fromthe mold surface. To this end, there is provided a pivoted sweepincluding a rigid portion designed to clear the pad during movement ofthe sweep to a position in which the ice piece is broken free from thepad and an extension adapted to flex upon engagement with the pad and toengage the ice piece after it has passed the pad thereby in effectproviding a longer sweep arm for assuring positive removal of the icepiece from the mold surface.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an ice maker embodying the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 illustrating the position ofcertain of the elements of the ice maker in an early stage of theharvesting operation;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 illustrating a subsequent stageof operation; and

3,398,553 Patented Aug. 27, 1968 Brief descrz'plion of the preferredembodiment The automatic ice maker illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings comprises a mold 1 adapted to be secured by one or more bolts 2to a wall of the freezer compartment of a household refrigerator. Themold includes a plurality of generally cylindrical ice cavities 3arranged in a straight line and separated from one another by walls 4,each of which includes a vertical passage 5 which provides means for theflow of water from one cavity to another during the mold fillingoperation. A plurality of pads or pistons 6 which to a substantialextent form the bottoms of the cavities 3 are interconnected by a bar 7slidably received within the passages 5.

Power and control means for operating the ice maker is generallycontained within a housing 9 secured to one end of the mold, thismechanism including a motor 10 connected through drive means including alever 11 and a rod 12 designed to raise the pads 6 and the ice pieces,such as the ice piece 14, carried thereby out of the cavities 3.

The ice maker also includes an elongate rake or sweep 16 extendingsubstantially the full length of the mold 1. The sweep is normallypositioned at one side of the cavities as illustrated in FIGURE 2 of thedrawing.

The sweep is pivotally supported on the mold structure above the uppersurface .of the mold or more specifically above the cavities 3 asindicated by the pivots 17 so that .during rotational movement thereofabout its pivot axis, it will move from a position to one side of themold cavity into engagement with the ice pieces supported on the pads 6and then part way across the space above the cavities for the purpose ofsweeping the ice pieces off of the pads and into the storage basket 18positioned below the mold.

For a more detailed description of the construction and operation of theice maker thus far described reference is made to the aforementionedpatents. As is more fully described therein, the automatic operatingcycle of the ice maker comprises filling of the cavities 3 with water,heating of the mold to free the formed ice pieces from the cavities,ejection of the ice pieces by movement of the pads 6 from their lowerposition in the bottom of the cavities to a raised position slightlyabove the upper surface 20 of the mold, pivotal movement of the sweep 16across the top of the mold for engaging the ejected ice pieces 14 andsweeping the ice pieces from the mold and return of the sweep and thepads 6 to their normal positions followed by the introduction of anothercharge of water into the mold cavities.

in the sweeping operation of the sweep 16, it is necessary to applysufficient positive force to the ice pieces 14 to break any of thepieces still frozen to the pad 6 loose for discharge into the receptacle18. To assure this positive release of the ice pieces from the pad, atleast a portion of the sweep contacting the ice pieces must besuificiently rigid to break the ice pieces loose if frozen to theejection pads. However, since the sweep must also clear the pads 6 whenthey are in their upper or raised positions the effective radial lengthof the solid or rigid portion of the sweep arm has been limited with theresult that in actual operation of the ice maker the sweep may notmaintain engagement with some of the cubes after removal from the pads 6long enough to assure that the cubes will fall over the adjacent moldedge 23. Any cubes remaining on the surface of the mold either fall backinto the mold cavity when the pads 6 are retracted or remain on thesurface of the mold Where they melt onto the front edge of the mold andfreeze into engagement with that portion of the mold surface during asubsequent ice making cycle.

In accordance with the present invention, a positive removal of all ofthe ice pieces from the mold is assured by the addition to the solid orrigid portion 24 of the sweep of a flexible extension designed duringthe travel of the sweep from its normal position across the open top ofthe cavities to flex and thereby clear or pass the pads 6 uponengagement therewith and thereafter to return substantially to itsnormal extended position to prolong the engagement of the sweepmechanism with the ice pieces and thereby assure that all of the icepieces are swept fiom the surface of the mold.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the extension comprises astrip of polypropylene 25 secured as by means of rivets 26 to the frontof the rigid portion 24 of the sweep mechanism. This strip includes aportion 27 extending downwardly or beyond the lower edge of the rigidportion 27 of the sweep and this extending portion 27 is connected tothe remaining portion of the strip 26 by means of a narrowed or neckedarea indicated by the numeral 28 which forms the well known type ofpolypropylene hinge.

By means of this extension, positive sweeping of the ice pieces from themold is assured. This action is illustrated in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 of thedrawing. When the ice pieces are first raised to their elevated positionas shown in FIGURE 3, pivotal movement of the sweep 16 brings thatportion of the sweep including the rigid portion 24 into engagement withthe sides of the ice pieces 14 thereby providing positive pressure forseparating the ice pieces from the pads 6. During continued travel ofthe sweep, the lower portion 27 of the polypropylene extension strikesthe adjacent edge of the pads 6 and flexes about the hinge section, asillustrated in the dotted line portion of FIGURE 4, thereby permittingthe sweep to continue its travel. After the flexed portion of thepolypropylene extension has passed the pads 6, the memory in thepolypropylene straightens the extension to its normally extended shapefor the application of a continued pressure on the ice pieces. Thecontinued or extended contact of the portion 27 with either the bottomor the side of the ice piece as illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawingcontinues to a point at which sweeping of the ice piece 14 from the moldis definitely assured. Thereafter as shown in FIGURE 5 of the drawing,the sweep returns to its normal position with a reverse flexing of theextension 27 to permit the sweep mechanism to pass the pads 6.

From the above description it will be noted that the present sweepmechanism retains the original force and rigidity of the mechanismillustrated in the above-identi fied patents to assure release of anycu'bes frozen to the ejecting pads. In addition, it provides anadditional operating length to the sweep for maintaining engagement withthe released ice pieces to a point at which their centersof gravitypasses over the edge of the mold so that the ice pieces fall freelyintothe receptacle.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. An ice maker comprising a freezer mold having an ice-forming cavity,an ice ejecting pad movable from a normal position within said cavity toa raised position above the top of said cavity for raising an ice piecefrom said cavity, a

a sweep element pivotally supported above said mold and normallypositioned at one side of said cavity prior to the upward movement ofsaid ejecting means and movable across the top of said mold for sweepingthe raised ice piece from said mold,

said element including a rigid portion for engaging said ice piece toremove said ice piece from said pad and a flexible extension on saidrigid portion adapted to flex upon engagement with an edge of said padto permit movement of said rigid portion past said edge and to engageand sweep said ice piece from said mold after removal thereof from saidpad by said rigid portion.

2. The ice maker of claim 1 in which said flexible extension comprises apolypropylene hinge portion.

3. The ice maker of claim 1 in which said sweep element is pivotallysupported at both ends thereof.

4. The ice maker of claim 1 in which said ice maker comprises aplurality of aligned cavities each of which includes ejecting means andsaid sweep element is operatively positioned relative to all of saidcavities.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,259,066 10/1941 Gaston 62353 X2,969,651 1/1961 Bauerlein 62353 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner.

